Careers & Recruiting; Asking The Right Questions.

If you are a job seeker, a recruiter, or an account executive responsible for business development in the recruiting industry, you may find this article interesting!

Below, I'll be sharing some ideas about great questions that people can ask to learn more about a possible career opportunity. By asking the right questions, people can gain insight to make the most educated decisions possible. For the job seeker, the quality of the question can differentiate you from competitors and help you have a more meaningful conversation with the client company. For the recruiter or account executive, the quality of the question can help you determine if the position is worth spending your time & energy to recruit. It also helps you learn the major selling points of the opportunity with a deeper meaning than the recruiter who only has a written job description.

Some great questions we all should be asking include:

1. Why is the role open?2. What are the major departmental and team goals this quarter, this upcoming year?3. Assuming the person in this role is "extremely successful", what will they have accomplished in the first 6 months on the job?4. Do you envision a succession plan for the person in this role? What is it?5. How do the departmental goals fit into the corporate goals & vision?6. Can you describe the company culture and the chemistry among the team?7. What did you love about the person that was previously in the role?8. What would you change about the person that was previously in the role?

Questions a Recruiter or Account Executive may ask in addition to the above:

9. What has your organization done at this point to fill the role? Internally, promoting someone?10. Are other search firms or recruiters actively working to fill the role?11. In what areas have the candidates come up short (ones that have interviewed)?12. Has anyone turned down an offer, why, what did the offer look like?13. How long has the role been open?14. What is the benefit or value, if the role is filled quickly?15. When do you "NEED" to fill this role by?16. What are the consequences to the manager, the dept., and the company if they don't fill it by "X" date?17. Can you commit to me, detailed feedback on candidates presented with 48 hours, and either arrange the 1st interview or we'll reject the candidate and discuss what we're missing in the qualifications?

Please keep in mind that these kind of questions are meant to encourage a more fruitful dialogue with you and the company so that you can better know the goals and objectives. As a job seeker or recruiter, you'll be able to have a better conversation differentiating yourself from the competition. And perhaps most importantly, you'll be able to make a more informed decision to work with the company! Knowledge is power, and you can use these same probing skills on the job and in life.

In closing, I believe that interviewing is the most important bit of sales many of us will ever do. In an interview, you are selling yourself! I know the best sales people ask probing questions to better understand the situation, problems, needs, and goals of a company. And like a good doctor, you can make a diagnosis as to your ability to help them overcome their problems and accomplish their goals after a thorough exam.

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